Chase Freedom Unlimited vs. Capital One Venture Card: Which One Is Right for You?
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Written by
Josephine Nesbit
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Edited by
Jasmin Baron
A rewards credit card offers cash back, points and/or travel miles that you can use toward your everyday purchases. Depending on the card, you can use your rewards in a number of different ways. The Chase Freedom Unlimited® and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card are both solid choices, but which one is right for you?
Here’s what you need to know about the Chase Freedom Unlimited card vs. the Capital Venture Card to help you decide on the best rewards credit card for your spending habits and lifestyle.
What Makes the Chase Freedom Unlimited Card Worth Getting?
The Freedom Unlimited card offers many perks with no annual fee. Its lengthy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months can help you save even more money on interest. After the introductory period is up, the APR is 18.99% - 28.49% Variable.
Here’s what else you can expect from the Freedom Unlimited credit card.
Points for Spending and Multiple Redemption Options
The Freedom Unlimited card’s cash-back rewards don’t expire as long as your account stays open. Plus, there’s no minimum to redeem for cash back.
Here’s how you can earn rewards:
- Unlimited 5% cash back on travel purchases through Chase Travel℠
- Unlimited 3% cash back on dining at restaurants, including takeout and delivery from eligible services
- Unlimited 3% cash back on drugstore purchases
- Unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other everyday purchases
You can redeem your rewards as a statement credit or direct deposit into your U.S. checking or savings account. Another redemption option is to link your card to your Amazon.com account to instantly redeem your rewards to pay for eligible Amazon purchases. You can also redeem for a variety of gift cards and certificates for shopping, entertainment or dining or book travel with Chase Travel.
Earn a Welcome Bonus Worth $200
For a card with no annual fee, it has a generous welcome bonus for new cardmembers. You can earn $200 cash back after you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
Partner Perks
When you sign up, you can get six months of DashPass at no cost. DashPass is DoorDash’s membership that provides unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and lower service fees on eligible orders through DoorDash or Caviar. After six months, you’re automatically enrolled at 50% off for the next nine months. However, you must activate this offer by Dec. 31, 2027.
What Makes the Capital One Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Worth Getting?
Unlike the Freedom Unlimited, the Venture Card does have an annual fee of $95. However, if you use the card often enough, you can quickly justify this expense thanks to its welcome bonus, spending rewards and premium travel benefits.
Generous Welcome Bonus
The Venture Card does have a better welcome bonus: Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.
Attractive Spending Rewards
In addition to the welcome bonus, cardmembers can earn unlimited 2x Capital One miles on everyday purchases and unlimited 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars when booked through Capital One Travel.
Here are more ways to redeem rewards:
- Travel purchases via Capital One Travel: For the best deals, book flights, hotels and rental cars through Capital One Travel
- Gift Cards: Redeem miles for gift cards from popular brands
- Cash: Redeem miles in the form of a statement credit or check
- Shopping: Use your rewards to pay for purchases at Amazon.com or at online stores through PayPal
- Entertainment: Redeem for exclusive tickets, event access and perks through Capital One Entertainment (see terms for eligibility requirements)
- Travel: Transfer miles to more than 15 travel loyalty programs.
Premium Travel Benefits
To sweeten the deal, the Venture Card comes with even more benefits:
- Lifestyle Collection: Earn a $50 experience credit to use at Capital One’s Lifestyle Collection hotels or vacation rentals. Additional benefits include complimentary Wi-Fi, room upgrades, early check-in and late checkout.
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement: Receive up to a $120 credit when you use your Venture card to complete the application and pay the fee.
- Get 24-hour travel assistance: Lose your card? Capital One will send you an emergency replacement card with a cash advance.
- Travel insurance: Travelers get auto rental collision damage waivers, travel accident insurance and 24-hour travel assistance services.
Side By Side Comparison
Annual Fee
Purchase and Balance Transfer APR
Welcome Bonus
Ongoing Rewards
Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day.
Pros & Cons
- Higher than average base rate of 1.5%
- Elevated 3-5% cash back on select categories
- Valuable bonus opportunity
PROS
- No ability to transfer points to travel partners unless you have an eligible annual-fee Chase card
- Charges a foreign transaction fee
CONS
- No foreign transaction fee
- Double miles earned on every purchase
- Travel perks like Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® Credit
PROS
- No introductory APR offer
- Limited hotel transfer partners
CONS
Learn More
How To Choose Between the Capital One Venture Card and Chase Freedom Unlimited
There’s no one-size-fits-all rewards credit card, and that’s true when comparing the Freedom Unlimited card vs. the Venture Card. You may see more value if you spend a lot on dining and at drugstores with the Freedom Unlimited card. On the other hand, Capital One has higher baseline earning potential on everyday purchases with 2x miles versus 1.5% cash back.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
The information related to the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Freedom Flex® was collected by CardCritics™ and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardCritics™ does not receive a commission for this product
Frequently Asked Questions About the Chase Freedom Unlimited vs Capital One Venture Card
Have questions? Here are the most common questions and answers about the Venture Card vs Freedom Unlimited.
What is better, Capital One or Chase?
When deciding between Capital One and Chase, the choice of which one to use depends on the card and how it’s used.
Which card is better than Freedom Unlimited?
In some ways, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® are both considered better than Freedom Unlimited. These two cards have a higher new cardmember offer and additional benefits, but they both have an annual fee.
Is Capital One Venture better than Freedom Flex?
Whether the Venture Card is better than Chase Freedom Flex® depends on your spending habits. The Venture Card offers a bigger welcome bonus and better earning potential on everyday purchases. The Chase Freedom Flex® card has a lucrative 5% cash back quarterly bonus and no annual fee.
What is the difference between the Venture Card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card?
The Venture Card and the Sapphire Preferred Card both rank among the best travel credit cards. The better card depends on your spending habits and which benefits are more important to you. Read our comparison of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card vs. Capital One Venture Card to help decide between these cards.
